Wednesday 6 May 2015

As clean as a whistle

I heard this phrase on the way into work this morning - "It will be as clean as a whistle!" I haven't heard it for a while, but it reminded me of how God promises to make us clean from our lives of sin. We may not end up being as 'clean as a whistle', but we can be purified by His love and mercy. His blood was spilt so that we could be made clean.

Matthew 8:2 - "Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

Acts 15:9 - "He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith."

If you have a moment you should also read Psalm 51. It is a wonderful Psalm about forgiveness and being made clean by God.

Living in Grace
D3LM3


Just out of interest, there is some debate as to the origins of this phrase 'as clean as a whistle.' A lot of people want to know why a whistle is used in a sentence about cleanliness? It may have had some origins in a poem by Robert Burns, but it could also refer to the fact that if a whistle is 'blocked' then no sound will come from it. It needs to be clean in order for there to be sound coming through.

It has also been suggested that the original phrase was actually 'as CLEAR as a whistle.' Which would then make more sense I guess. When we hear a whistle we know what it is referring to - the whistle of a train or even a referee's whistle. Each whistle has a meaning and it communicates to us what we need to hear. 


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